


Tiptoeing through the rubble

by roadsoftrial



Series: Grace Under Pressure [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Communication is hard, Established Relationship, Fluffy Ending, Ignis is sad, M/M, Oral Sex, Post-World of Ruin, Prompto Is Sad, angsty smut, everyone is sad, kind of pointless, relationships are hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-02-01 00:46:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12693576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roadsoftrial/pseuds/roadsoftrial
Summary: Sometimes, fights start from nothing and burst into everything.





	Tiptoeing through the rubble

It’s been one of those days. Where anything and everything becomes a reason to pick a fight. Where they are both tired and irritable and on edge, where old frustrations resurface, where nothing is off limits anymore. Where an entire house isn’t big enough for two people, feels too cramped, too stifling.

One of those days where lingering, omnipresent hurts make their presence known, and so they are left with no choice but to tackle them head on, one by one.

But Ignis can be harsh (cruel, Prompto would argue, on his worst days).

And Prompto can be vicious, when backed into a corner (whether he really is or just feels that way).

It’s always about Prompto’s silence, his evasiveness, in front of tough subjects, when decisions need to be made, explanations, to be had.

And it’s always about Ignis’ pride, and his need to _know,_ and his tendency to push and prod until he gets the answer he wants, no matter what punctures in the process.

And so Prompto backs away before he says things he doesn’t mean, before Ignis says something that hits the nail on the head with a little too much precision.

He goes to the bedroom, making sure the door isn’t closed all the way, because it would say something he’s not willing to say, upset as he might be. He starts getting ready for bed, because what else is there to do, really?

He hears the front door open and close. He lies down and waits. Waits to cool down, to be able to think straight. And he does, eventually, so then he waits for Ignis to come back.

He’s started to doze off when he finally hears the front door again. He’s fully awake by the time Ignis slips into bed next to him. His head soon finds Prompto’s shoulder, and their limbs become entangled without having to really think about it.

‘I’m sorry,’ he whispers, ‘for losing my cool. I shouldn’t have pushed the way I did.’

Prompto rubs his eyes, lets out a breath he hadn’t noticed he’d been holding.

‘It’s fine,’ he finally says. ‘I was stupid too.’

Ignis slips a hand behind Prompto’s ear, tipping his face down, and kisses the top of his head.

‘…We’re not done, are we?’

‘No.’

 

An hour passes as clothes are slowly peeled off and slow, languorous kisses are shared, hands exploring every inch of skin they can reach.

It’s only once Ignis makes his way on top, pinning Prompto to the mattress, teeth digging into the warm skin of his neck, that he speaks again.

'You used to tell me,' he says softly, 'when you saw something you found beautiful.'

_There it is._

Prompto looks down, trying to avoid the two pale, almost translucent eyes staring at him, almost taunting him from above his chest.

He soon lowers his gaze, continuing the slow, almost painful trail of his lips against Prompto’s naked body.

'I was hoping,' he continues in between kisses, 'you could tell me why you stopped.

Prompto chuckles because, well, he needs to say _something_. He gasps faintly at the feeling of teeth on the sensitive skin of his inner thigh.

'I didn't think you'd notice,’ he exhales.

'Why not?'

'I didn't think you… cared in the first place. That I… that I told you these…fu—these things.'

He lifts his head ever so slightly.

'Did I... do anything to make you believe as much?' he asks with a soft voice, his hand stroking loosely at the cock before him before he finally presses his lips against it, peppering slow, wet kisses across the length, causing Prompto to close his eyes and inhale sharply.

'I-I mean, no, but kind of... You… gods… you never cared much for… um… chitchat and small talk...’ He pauses, combs Ignis’ hair back with his fingers, moaning softly.

But Ignis stops his movement.

‘Go on,’ he simply whispers, before going back to his task.

‘Um, well—fuck— commenting on the view or—or the colour of the sky... it's as small talk as it gets...'

'Not coming from you,’ comes the immediate response.

Silence settles, only interrupted by soft suction sounds and raspy breaths.

'Because you cared about those things,’ he continues. ‘You still do.'

‘I… I did... Fuck, Ignis,’ he gasps. ‘I… I still do, alright?'

On that admission, Ignis finally takes Prompto’s cock between his lips, and sucks slowly, deeply, making Prompto’s head fall back, struggling for air. Prompto is holding onto Ignis’ hair, combing it back, making a mess. He fastens the pace as Prompto’s breaths become erratic, and Prompto comes down his throat, with a grunt that sounds a lot like a sob.

It’s another hour before Prompto can catch his breath, before he can bring himself to talk again. Because there’s no subdued way, no easy way of saying what Ignis wants him to say.

'I didn't want...' he hesitates, '...to flaunt it.'

'Flaunt it?'

'The things I'm seeing. The fact that I can see them and you can't. It's just… it wasn’t fair. It’s not fair.'

'You can't make my burden yours only to spare my feelings.'

'I just…’

A pause.

‘I feel… guilty… that I get to enjoy some things when you can’t.’

‘So you’d rather drag us both down than pull me up,’ he says, matter-of-factly, without a hint of accusation.

‘That’s… I guess, yeah.’

Silence. A tender hand through Prompto’s hair.

‘That’s not fair either, Prompto. For you or me.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be.’

Prompto closes his eyes, covers his face with both hands, because he’s quite sure he knows what’s coming.

‘You don’t take pictures anymore, do you?’

_Fuck._

'...no.' 

‘Since when?’

‘Um… a year or so after Noct… went into the crystal.’

He feels Ignis’ body tighten for a split second, then regain its composure just as quickly.

‘Why… why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I don’t know. It was… it was easier to pretend, I guess…’

‘I would’ve understood.’

‘I know. But before that, you would’ve been angry. You were angry about enough things already.’

Ignis doesn’t respond, because he knows better than to argue on truths.

'I just don’t understand… why stop in the first place? You used to take pictures, even when you had no one to show them to...'

'Y-... I know.'

'What happened?'

A sigh.

'...You happened.’

Silence.

‘You started looking at them, and liking them.'

Prompto closes his eyes again, because looking at Ignis’ defeated face, as he understands just what the hell he’s getting at, is too much.

'You… you looked at them and I... it’s like I realized why I had been doing it this entire time. And so when you couldn’t see them anymore, well… I tried to describe them to you, but we had other things on our minds and…’

A deep, raspy breath. Prompto is surprised to notice it isn't his.

'...Ignis?'

'...I'm sorry,' comes the wet, choked reply.

‘Ignis...'

'I should have noticed.'

‘No… no. I put this on you. I had no right to do that. Don’t apologize.’

Ignis shuffles around so he can bury his face in Prompto’s neck. Prompto holds him as tightly as he can, mindlessly shushing in his ear while Ignis allows himself to sob slowly, quietly against him.

 

They won’t be going to sleep, they conclude after a while.

‘Hey Iggy?’ Prompto whispers.

‘Yes?’

‘Want to go out and wait for the sun with me?’

‘Of course,’ he says with a shy smile.

Prompto started doing it almost instinctively. Whenever he wakes on time, he goes outside and waits. Ignis doesn’t meddle, though he doubts Prompto would mind his company.

But it’s _his_ ritual, so he doesn’t join him unless he’s invited.

Ignis decides they need coffee first, and goes to take care of it in the kitchen while Prompto immediately settles down in the steps leading to the house, wet grass sticking to his bare feet.

‘I think,’ Ignis says calmly as he hands Prompto a mug and sits next to him, ‘that this life is worth documenting too.’

‘I know,’ Prompto says, a smile in his voice.

Ignis doesn’t push it, but it’s a start.

‘Alright, here it comes. You ready?’

‘Yes,’ he laughs, ‘ready as can be.’

And he can’t see it, but he sure can feel the comforting warmth against his skin. Prompto doesn’t move, doesn’t say a word, though Ignis knows it’s only because he’s here.

‘It feels nice,’ Ignis finally says.

‘Yeah. It’s a good one, too.’

‘Describe it for me?’

‘It's... beautiful. Lots of shades of orange and pink. Cloudy, but it's the thin, stripy kind, and they’re scattered so they don’t get in the way. The light makes them this mix of magenta and purple, it's… amazing.’ He speaks slowly, his voice hoarse, a little tighter in his throat than he’d like.

He feels himself smile when Ignis wraps his arms around his neck and presses a kiss against his temple.

And though Ignis doesn’t comment on it, he doesn’t miss the sound of the camera shutter from Prompto’s phone as they’re headed inside.

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing like a good ol’ fight and staying-up-all-night-talking-about-it combo to compensate for your lack of communication skills! Fun times!!  
> ( ~~What do you mean, I’m projecting?~~ )
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!
> 
> (I'm on tumblr [here](http://furimukuna-amuro.tumblr.com/) and [here](https://thelegendarynoctgar.tumblr.com/)! Come talk to me, I'm very lonely!)


End file.
